Kindergarten Fall — Print Concepts, Letter Formation, and Oral Language for Writing
Lesson 9 20 min eng.gK.f.lesson_09.midunit_print_concepts_check

Mid-unit print concepts check (Marie Clay protocol — adapted)

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Teacher gathers individual data on each student's print-concepts mastery using the Marie Clay protocol (adapted, time-compressed).
  • Students demonstrate front-cover identification, directionality, word-boundary awareness, and sentence recognition.
Vocabulary
check-inshow mepoint to

Lesson plan

Warm-up

2 min

Whole-class read-aloud of a familiar book — relaxed tone.

Teacher moves
  • Re-set the tone: this is not a test, it's a sharing

Direct instruction

2 min

Today I'll meet with each of you one at a time for just 3 minutes. I'll ask you to SHOW me things about a book. There are no wrong answers — I'm just learning what you know!

Media
M-K-F-GR-09-A Diagram Physical / non-image

Visual of the adapted Clay rubric showing 6 items: (1) Front of book, (2) Print carries the message, (3) Directionality L→R, (4) Return sweep, (5) One word, (6) Capital letter. Each item is scored 0 / 1 / 2. Total /12. Used for teacher reference; not shown to children.

Guided practice

12 min
Tasks
  • Children rotate through stations while teacher conducts 3-minute individual checks.
    scaffold Three independent stations: drawing-and-labeling, listening-center read-aloud, magnetic-letter free-build.
  • Individual protocol: 'Show me the front of this book.' 'Where do I start reading?' 'Show me one word.' 'Show me a capital letter.' 'Show me where this sentence ends.'
    scaffold Adapted Clay rubric: 6 items, 2 points each, mastery at 10/12.

Formative assessment

1 min
Exit ticket
  • Self-report sticker: 'I felt good / I felt unsure' (children stick onto class chart).
scoring Data is recorded by teacher on the Clay rubric — individual scoring.

Closure

Moves
  • Restate: 'Every one of you knows more than you did three weeks ago.'
Media
M-K-F-GR-09-B Chart
Wall chart titled 'How I felt about my check-in today' with two columns: smiley-face 'GOOD' and thoughtful-face 'UNSURE'

Wall chart titled 'How I felt about my check-in today' with two columns: smiley-face 'GOOD' and thoughtful-face 'UNSURE'. Children place a star sticker in one column. Used to identify children who may need a no-stakes re-do tomorrow.

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Take home the 'Print Detectives' sheet — practice finding the front cover, one word, and one capital in a bedtime book.

Exercises in this lesson

eng.gK.f.ex_17
Marie Clay adapted protocol: 6 print-concept questions.
 protocol · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Use the child's name on the book if they associate with a specific book
  • Smaller protocol (3 items) for children with attention or anxiety
Extensions
  • Children scoring 12/12 get the 'extended protocol' — 'Show me a question mark.' 'What's this called?' pointing to title page
English Learners
  • Allow gesture-only response
  • Use a book in the child's home language for the protocol
Ieps 504s
  • Conduct in a quiet corner if sensory needs
  • Allow stim toys during protocol
  • Reduce to 3 items if attention is limited

Teacher notes

This is your formal mid-term data point. Score each child on the adapted Clay 6-item protocol; flag any child scoring below 8/12 for the formal 24-item Clay administration with the literacy coach. Children below 6/12 at this point need a Tier-2 intervention plan immediately.